PROTESTERS have set fire to an effigy of Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, claiming the 2010 plane crash in Russia in which Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others died was an assassination.

Supporters of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the dead president's twin brother, rallied in front of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw today (yesterday local time) - the eve of the anniversary of the April 10, 2010, crash. They said they do not believe the crash was an accident, as probes by Russian aviation authorities and Poland's government commission have concluded. Kaczynski, the leader of the opposition nationalist Law and Justice party, has been fuelling assassination theories. His backers also protested in front of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's and President Bronislaw Komorowski's offices.

On April 9th at 6 pm a demonstration in front of the embassy of the Russian Federation began, organized by Akcja Alternatywna "Naszosc". The purpose of the demonstration was to protest against Russian lies about the Smolensk crash and against cooperation of the Civic Platform-led government in these lies.

About 7 thousand people participated in the event, including visitors from many Polish cities and towns, notably from the Tri-city, Gliwice, Poznań and Wrocław.

The embassy and the Chancellery of the Prime Minister building were enclosed with crowd control barriers, and the area was closed to public transportation and traffic due to the demonstration. There were many police officers armed to the teeth. There were also secret police officers in civilian clothes mingled with the demonstrators (some of them were exposed due to visible earphones and microphones hidden under their hoods).

The crowd at the embassy chanted: "We want the truth", "Down with communism", "Down with the Platform", "This is Poland, not Moscow", and "Nuremberg for Putin", "Murderers" and "Smolensk we remember, Smolensk we avenge".

Demonstrators had banners of the clubs of Gazeta Polska and "Solidarnosc Walczaca", as well as banners with the slogans: "Do not extinguish the remembrance", "Katyn massacre 1940, Smolensk massacre 2010", "Putin the murderer, Tusk the traitor", "Sopot apologizes for Tusk", "The fog won’t conceal traitors of Poland", "Smolensk 2010. Silence is a lie".

The chief editor of Gazeta Polska Tomasz Sakiewicz said: "We want to find out why our President, who did not go there to wage war, died (...), he went there to pray at the graves of our heroes. Why our President died, since he did not want to harm you, since he came with a mission of peace. If you want real reconciliation with us, you must answer these questions".

Sakiewicz emphasized that the demonstrators wanted all evidence of the Smolensk crash to be returned to Poland, including the Tu-154 wreckage, black boxes and documents.

"If we take up Lech Kaczynski’s message and idea that Poland should regain its position in the world, and Poles should be given back the opportunity to live with dignity in their own country, then this blood is not spilt in vain" – Andrzej Gwiazda said, one of the founders of the Solidarity movement in 1980.

At the end of the demonstration an effigy of Putin was burnt while the demonstrators shouted "murderer", and after that the crowd chanted: "and now Tusk". Just after that Piotr Lisiewicz of Akcja Alternatywna “Naszosc” officially closed the rally. However, the demonstrators did not disperse and, shouting "To Belweder!", they set off towards the palace located several hundred metres from the embassy. At Belweder they shouted: "give us the black boxes, take Bronek", “Komorowski out to Moscow”, and “Traitor of Poland Komorowski”.

After a quarter of an hour or so the crowd set off towards the Presidential Palace. Meanwhile the demonstrators stopped at the KPRM building where exploding bangers were heard and shouts such as: "Tusk to trial", "Here the traitor lives", "Targowica*", and "Tomorrow the barriers won’t help". The demonstration ended after 10 pm.